37 Quality Gift Ideas for an Engineer (No Mugs)

Looking for a special gift for an engineer in your life? Placing a high value on quality and thoughtfulness, these analytical problem solvers can be hard please. We’ve spent hours searching 100s of ideas to help you find the very best choices for every type of engineer. From stocking stuffers to birthday gifts, we’ve got you covered. Happy shopping

Remember using mechanical pencils in school that chip off at the slightest dig? Using a special double spring technology, this pencil makes sure the lead doesn’t break no matter how you’re writing. Engineers will not only love its sturdiness, but appreciate the patent-pending technology that makes it work.

Does your engineer do a lot of field work? This rugged messenger bag is designed for outdoor work, with a laptop compartment, multiple pockets for tools, water bottles and more. A great alternative to carrying around a bulky, messy backpack where items slide around and get dirty.

Before Silicon Valley, the New Jersey-based Bell Labs was the epicenter of many American innovations. The transistor, laser, and early digital communications are among the inventions conceived here. This NY Times bestseller tells the fascinating tale of Bell Labs and the amazing engineers who worked there.

This scale-model of the Golden Gate Bridge makes a great product for an engineer who loves putting things together. Comes with detailed instructions and as a more advanced model, it is appropriate for teens to adults. Makes a classy home decoration once complete. Made in the USA.

Recommended as a top 10 book for engineering students, An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth: What Going to Space Taught Me About Ingenuity, Determination, and Being Prepared for Anything is the perfect gift idea to give a budding engineer perspective on life and using one’s skills for good in the world.

This laser cut wooden robot is one of the coolest, relatively unknown products we’ve found. A great idea for an engineer and his kids, the robot is named Orpheus and he turns into a music box once complete. Takes 5-10 hours to assemble and comes in over 200 pieces.

It would take you over 6 weeks to finish counting this Pi poster to completion (assuming your eyes don’t give out). A great idea for math geeks, you can make every day Pi Day. Printed on high quality paper. Frame it for the home or office.

There is perhaps no living engineer more venerated than Elon Musk, whose ventures including Tesla and SpaceX have propelled us into an exciting new technology-powered world. This book will satisfy your engineer’s thirst for new career excitement and then some. Author Ashley Vance spent 40 hours in person with Musk and spoke to over 300 people who know him. This is the definitive book to get!

This super high quality metal puzzle is a perfect gift for that know-it-all engineer who loves a challenge. Can he or she figure out how to separate the metal cylinders and put them back together? Without any guides to help find the answer, it’s all in his or her own hands.

Rube Goldberg’s imaginative designs have inspired millions with their ingenious chain reaction events. Give your engineer a full year of fun Goldberg creations with this great wall calendar. Watch out though: your engineer might get some crazy ideas!

Renown Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David McCullough tells the fascinating tale of the Brooklyn Bridge, from inception as a father and son enterprise to today — still standing as one of the world’s great engineering achievements. A book about more than bridge itself, McCullough gives the economic and social context to help readers see how important this bridge is to our modern world. The Great Bridge will give your engineer a renewed appreciation for the profession and its contribution to society. Also available on Audiobook.

The smart watch for active people, this Garmin model wins top acclaim for its lightweight but feature rich design including a GPS, pacer, workout routines, and more. It will collect all the data your engineer will ever need to geek out about his or her daily activity patterns. If your budget is tighter, check out our list of fitness tracker options under $50.

Every engineer needs a Galileo thermometer. This classic invention reads the temperatures as the different liquids in each bulb react to the surrounding air, rising or falling in the glass tube. We recommend this framed model to keep the glass a little extra secure for a long-lasting gift.

A great gift for anyone on your list who wants a respite from the world, these ingenious headphones are an especially great idea for an engineer. He’ll be fascinated by the technology that allows these small buds to block out so much noise. Perfect for commutes, airplanes or even noisy neighbors. The noise cancelling works even without music playing.

The ultimate modern engineer’s toy, a drone will keep him occupied and off the couch for hours. We recommend this Cheerwing model for its combination of price point and user satisfaction. Comes with a built in wi-fi camera.

Not only does it write, it measures, screws, levels and will act as a stylus. Your engineer will never leave the house without this nifty pen in his or her pocket. Comes in a tin box and ready to be wrapped.

These 359 math-focused puzzles will keep an engineer happy and occupied for days. A famous and popular book in the former Soviet Union, it contains many puzzles you’ve likely never seen before. Contains over 400 sketches that accompany the brain twisters.

If you’re looking for the extra personal touch, consider this high quality wood pen and case with an engineer’s emblem. A great gift idea for the office and something he or she will treasure for years.

Engineering Cheat Sheet T Shirt – Turn mathematical equations, engineer diagrams and even problem solving hints into a real fashion statement with this sporty tee. Your engineer will go nuts over this! Gets top marks from buys for fit and is available in a number of sizes.

Does your engineer have a big bulky TI-83 graphing calculator from the 1990s? Consider upgrading him or her to this super slim, colored screened incarnation that’s getting great customer reviews. It can graph and rotate 3D functions among other advanced features. You can run the calculator’s software on your computer as well for multiplatform multiplication.

The strongest rare earth magnet that exists, N52 Neodymium is a science geek’s delight. While this cubic inch version looks small, it packs some real power that your engineer will get sucked into – literally! A great stocking stuffer. Just don’t put it near a computer.

$9.99 USD

$9.99 USD

20-in-1 Carabiner

20-in-1 Multi-Purpose Pocket Tool Kit Carabiner – Can you believe 20 functions can be packed into a little carabiner? Neither could we. From measuring to wire cutting, this handy little necessity will be your engineer’s new best friend.

Another idea for budding engineers or those young at heart, this super fun robotic doodler will be a hit gift. Assemble the robot and watch it work its magic, drawing artwork all on its own. The future is here.

While he’s out flying his or her drone (or more likely, sitting on the couch watching in amazement), let this incredible robotic vacuum cleaner do all the work. You can schedule it to start cleaning on its own up to 7x per week. Just watch out he or she might try to take it apart to see what’s inside.

The Way Things Work, originally published in 1988, became an instant classic for kids curious about the workings of the world. This updated edition, The Way Things Work Now, includes many new technological advances. Great for kids or adults who remember reading the original book.

Engineers are great observers and fixers of the external world. This book gives them an alternative framework for their inner worlds. An unexpected gift idea that could have a profound impact on someone’s life.

Have you ever wondered how ancient structures like the pyramids, Great Wall of China or Greek Pantheon were constructed? This fascinating book takes a deep dive into the builders behind these grand monuments. History books tend to gloss over the contributions of the engineers and architects, so this will be a breath of fresh air to any engineer.

A more visual version of the book above, spanning a longer time period, this makes a great coffee table addition. The book profiles over 100 different contributors to the great structures of the world. A real joy to page through.

This attractive black in pen is inscribed with a Nikola Tesla quote that will inspire your engineer: “TO FIND THE SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE, THINK IN TERMS OF ENERGY, FREQUENCY, & VIBRATION.” A versatile gift, it works for anything from graduation to retirement.

Designed based on a real steam engine, this top-rated puzzle will occupy your engineer for hours. It will actually move once complete (no steam required, think rubber band mechanism). It makes a great family project over the holidays.